Thénault and Dehlinger lead the way in Aerials qualifications in St. Moritz

Mar 29, 2025·Freestyle

The 2025 FIS Snowboard, Freestyle and Freeski World Championships are approaching the grand finale, with Aerials qualifications taking center stage on Saturday in St. Moritz. As the final two events of a highly successful championship week draw near, 12 men and 12 women have secured their spots in Sunday’s Aerials finals, following two rounds of qualification filled with drama, big jumps, and standout performances.

Thénault brings out the big guns

In the women's competition, it was Marion Thénault (CAN) who stole the show. The Canadian star didn’t hold back, throwing down the biggest jump in her arsenal—a flawless Full-Full-Full—to earn a commanding top score of 113.33 points and lead the field into the finals.

Behind her, reigning Olympic champion Xu Mengtao (CHN) impressed with a clean Double Full-Full that scored 90.24, while her teammate Shao Qi (CHN) rounded out the top three with 85.99 points for a well-executed Full-Full.

All eyes were on Laura Peel (AUS), the 2024/25 World Cup overall champion, who played it safe in qualifications with a double. Sitting in 13th before her final jump, Peel delivered under pressure, nailing her Double Full-Full to comfortably make the cut for Sunday’s final.

Dehlinger delivers highest score of the day

On the men’s side, Quinn Dehlinger (USA) continued his stellar form, coming off a gold medal in the team event just days earlier. The American landed a near-perfect Double Full-Full-Full to earn the highest score of the day with 122.17 points.

Close behind was the crowd favorite Pirmin Werner, who thrilled his vocal fanbase with an equally massive Double Full-Full-Full, scoring 121.72 points to take second place.

Wang Xindi (CHN) completed the top three with 116.37 points for his well-controlled Full double Full-Full, ensuring China will be well represented in the final.

Big names miss the cut

There were some surprising upsets on the men’s side. Qi Guangpu (CHN), the reigning World Cup champion and two-time world champion, struggled to land his jump cleanly and finished down in 15th place, missing the final.

Also failing to advance was Dmytro Kotovskyi (UKR), who just days earlier executed a textbook Full triple Full-Full—known as "The Hurricane"—to help Ukraine to team silver. But in qualifications, Kotovskyi was unable to land either of his attempts and ended the day in 17th place.

The Aerials finals will take place on Sunday, 30 March, beginning at 14:00 CET.

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